The present invention is directed to a fibrous polymeric insulation and, in particular, to an insulation for clothing and the like, comprising a non-woven blend of polymeric fibers including microfibers made in part from a recycled polymer.
A wide variety of natural and synthetic thermal insulating materials are used in outer wear garments, such as ski parkas, sleeping bags and similar items used in winter and other outdoor sporting, hiking and camping activities. To be commercially suitable for such applications, such insulating materials must exhibit insulating properties equivalent to down. In addition, such materials should be light in weight, to keep the insulated garments or sleeping bags as light as possible for backpacking; and resilient to maintain their insulating properties after repeated compressions and expansions caused by packing and unpacking such items. These materials should also retain their thermal insulating properties even when the materials become wet.
It is also desirable to keep the costs of such thermal insulating materials as low as possible and it would be highly beneficial to society if recycled materials such as plastics could be used in this type of insulating product to help reduce the waste disposal problems currently presented by plastic materials.